It has been a few years since this incident happened, but it still remains fresh in my memory from when I was traveling in the mystic land of the Himalayas in India. From the mystic teachers to the scenic beauty, everything was utterly gorgeous. We were on our way to the river Ganges and got stuck in traffic. I came out of the car to get some fresh air and saw a female monkey holding a dead baby monkey in her mouth. As torturous as it was to see the painful view, I just couldn’t resist to follow her for the next few moments. I saw she was holding to the baby monkey as if it was fully alive. She wouldn’t let it go, jumping from one branch of the tree to another.

I came back to the car and shared the experience with the driver, who was native of the town. He explained that it’s very tough for a monkey to let go of her child. The realization that her child is no more doesn’t sink in for a very long time. It’s only after the bones start to come out of the rotten skin that the monkey finally releases the body. The driver wrapped the conversation by saying, “Tabhi toh yeh bandar hai” which means, “That’s why it’s a monkey” pointing out the lack of wisdom in the animal. I said nothing and delved deeper into my thoughts, analyzing the situation again and again.

The next morning, I had a few appointment calls with my clients. While talking to each client, one by one, I realized that we too are part of the monkey culture and tend to remain stuck in our own traps. The sacred chaos of our mind makes us feel comfortable about our troubles in life but we can’t run away from the truth for too long. The monkey was still able to let go of the baby monkey after realizing that it was dead. We have a stronger sense of self awareness and yet we find it next to impossible to accept when it’s time to let go of certain things.

Our human mind is in a much more beneficial position when it comes to dealing with problems in life, whereas an animal tends to evolve very slowly in its sense of awareness. As a human being, we have access to tons of wisdom and techniques that can create a Buddha mindset. You will find it tough to teach Gita to a holy cow roaming on the streets of India, but a human brain is capable of learning and understanding it so easily. Let us use this human factor to our advantage. I always wonder if the animal world is probably laughing at us and wondering who the real animal is. The one in the jungle enjoying nature and living every moment, or the so called ‘human’ being, who is always restless, reactive and upset about everything.

There is no one-size-fits-all, standard solution to letting go, but based upon my experiences with people, I have compiled a few suggestions and I hope that you will find them helpful as well:

The Power of Gratitude

We want to feel that we are too important for the world. The result is that we start taking ourselves too seriously. When we treat ourselves as sensitive dolls, everyone has the button to make us laugh and cry. We are at the mercy of circumstances everyday. One sure shot way to get out of this chaos is to be grateful every day, in every way. Being in gratitude helps us to take things in a different and easier way. It also sheds the unnecessary weight of ego on us.

Letting go is natural

The best thing about letting go is that it’s part of our natural cycle. When we decide to let go, the auric vibes around us support our intention. Letting go does not mean to bring in anything new. It means to live in a no-goal and no-expectation zone. Keep diving into the realms of silence and you will never have to make any effort to let go.

Gift of the Present

The major cause of stress is our attention lies in the past and future. We are always in a relentless tug of war between the memories of our past and the worries about our future but neither exist. The present is, thus, effortlessly ignored. The major cause of our stress is not being able to live in the present. Be fully in the present in all your actions. Know that 99% of situations won’t even bother you a bit after a few months or years. Use your energy and time to maximize the benefit from the present moment.

Detachment from identity

In ancient days, Gurus or Masters would change the name of their spiritual students in order to prevent them from clinging to their identity. The change of name helped students to let go of the bloated ego brought upon by the social status of name. My grandfather gave me the name Chandresh, which means, master of highest consciousness. He said I am giving him a spiritual name from day one which will remind him every moment about his Dharma toward the world.

About Chandresh Bhardwaj

Chandresh is the founder of the globally spread Break The Norms Movement, with locations where Chandresh meets with clients in New York, Los Angeles, New Delhi and Amsterdam. Hailing from a family of traditional Indian gurus, Chandresh Bhardwaj currently conducts talks all over the globe in many countries including Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Hong Kong, India, Belgium, Canada, and the USA. In addition, Chandresh recently founded the non-profit Uncensored Spirituality Foundation, to spread spiritual awareness globally among those who don't have the resources.
Chandresh’s most unique aspect lies in the fact that he’s very well attuned to the modern world as well as the sacred spiritual world. Chandresh went to the prestigious Zicklin School of Business in New York City, and has worked in the finance industry. Chandresh believes that we can be in the world but not of the world and by tapping into our infinite potential, we can create the perfect balance of abundance and peace. More information about Chandresh can be found at www.BreakTheNorms.com. You can also download his app 'Uncensored Spirituality' on your android and apple phone and tablet.
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